Hoppy hour! Drinkers flock to brewery that’s giving away hundreds of gallons of unsold beer in exchange for donations to the NHS
- Alnwick Brewery Company were left with dozens of casks with pubs closed
- The brewery pleaded with residents to take beer home in their own containers
- Lucky visitors were asked to make a donation to help the NHS fight coronavirus
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Ale fans made a beeline to their local brewery after bosses announced plans to give away hundreds of gallons of unsold beer.
The Alnwick Brewery Company issued a plea to punters to bring their own containers to fill up on drink that would otherwise have gone to waste.
And all the lucky locals had to do in return to was make a donation to the NHS to help the fight against coronavirus.
The firm was left with plenty of untouched casks when pubs nationwide closed their doors due to the ongoing pandemic.
The Northumberland-based Alnwick Brewery Company asked locals to take home unsold beer
Each cask holds approximately 70 pints, and the brewery said that one enthusiastic beer veteran ‘joked he would arrive with a bathtub’.
Co-owner Ian Robinson said: ‘We’d brewed up in anticipation of Easter. Suddenly the business was shut down and we thought “what can we do with this?”
‘It’s all very well giving it away but why not try to raise some money through donations?
‘The beer has a relatively short lifespan and we’re down to its last three weeks so we’ll be doing this for the next few Fridays.’
The brewery, based in Alnwick town centre, has raised £450 over the last fortnight, with giveaways being held on Fridays from its cellar.
Mr Robinson added: ‘Someone arrived with two 20-litre containers.
‘We’ve had people with empty Coke bottles and things of all shapes and sizes.
‘The camaraderie and banter when they’re queuing up has been really amusing.
‘Some people have been coming on bikes and farmers have been walking in.
‘Certainly not everyone has been coming by car.’
Lucky locals will donate to the NHS’ fight against coronavirus in return for the firm’s cask beer
Strict social distancing measures have been adhered to by visitors and staff, with the firm continuing to operate despite placing a number of its workers on furlough.
The firm have also donated cakes, biscuits and toiletries to the dementia department at Newcastle General Hospital and care homes in the region.
However, uncertainty continues to surround the future of pubs in the country – with locals likely to be one of the last areas of the leisure industry to reopen once lockdown is eased.
A government advisor has also said pubs could be ordered to restrict customers to just three pints.